Cheap laptop, expensive speakers?

[gbmike]

So, I'm using this HP 14 R103TX, a low-med budget laptop from 2015. I'm looking for speakers and found this Edifier R1280T. Is it too much for the laptop to handle? Does cheap and expensive laptop (from same brand ex: HP vs HP) have different audio output quality?

[Fiskelord]

First of all, the speakers you mentioned are active speakers, meaning the amplification part is done by the speakers themselves, thus not putting any real stress on your computers soundcard.

That being said, there is a reason people spend a bunch of money on DACs and the like, so yes, there is a difference in audio quality between different soundcards. Whether or not you can actually hear it is another story, personally i am having trouble hearing the difference, as long as it is somewhat recent hardware i am listening on, and your computer is in the category

[Lady Fitzgerald]

A laptop can handle feeding self-amplified speakers. Sound quality will most likely be less than stellar unless you feed the speakers with a good USB DAC (which will cost more than the speakers you are considering).

 

Those edifiers will sound OK but don't expect stunning fidelity from them, even with a DAC (Edifiers are a good brand but you only get what you pay for). I'm using an old Lenovo notebook right now to power my JBL 5" studio monitors (self-amplified) and a JBL10" subwoofer (including cables, the combination cost over six times the Edifiers you're considering) but even they sounded meh at best until I fed them through a Dragonfly Red USB DAC (which cost twice as much as the Edifiers).